UNdunankulu wase Tonga U-Akilisi Pohiva usenxuse abanye abaphathi bezwe ePacific ukuba behle phansi ukuze babe yisibonelo esifanele kubahlali base-rotund bakule ndawo. Uze waphakamisa ukuthi bangasungula umncintiswano wokwehlisa isisindo.
IPacific iyikhaya lamazinga aphakeme kakhulu okukhuluphala nezifo ezingathathelani, kanti uPohliva uphakamise ukwenza lo mncintiswano ube yingxenye yePacific Islands Forum, umhlangano waminyaka yonke wamazwe azimele oLwandlekazi iPacific. Umholi woThongathi uphakamise ukuthi umholi ngamunye akalwe emhlanganweni walo nyaka ngaphambi kokubuya ngonyaka olandelayo ukuze athole esinye isisindo.
"Akukhona ukuthi ngubani olahlekelwa ngamakhilo amaningi, kodwa ukuze ususe isisindo, kufanele udle ukukhanya futhi ukuba nomqondo ophilile kuzosiza kakhulu," kubikwa ukuthi uPohiva, owayenguthisha esikoleni, utshele i-Samoa Observer. "Uma abaholi sebejwayele le ndlela yokucabanga bazobe bezimisele ngokuthola abantu babo babheke esicini esifanayo bese besuka lapho."
Ngokwe-World Health Organisation, eyodwa kwezinhlanu izingane nentsha emazweni ayishumi asePacific athathwa njengabakhuluphele ngokweqile, kanti olunye ucwaningo lukhombisa ukuthi amaphesenti angama-10 kuye kwangama-40 ezingane ezikhuluphele azoba umuntu okhuluphele ngokweqile. I-WHO ithi ukusabalala kokukhuluphala kulesi sifunda kuncike ekushintsheni kokudla kwesintu kunokudla okungenisiwe, okwenziwe ngomshini.
In Nauru, 61 percent of adults are obese. On the Cook Islands, the figure is 56 percent. Globally, around 12 percent of adults are classed as obese. The high rates of obesity in region has led life expectancy to drop while cases of diabetes and cardiovascular disease have risen.
UPohiva uzwakalise ukudana ngomthelela omubi wezinhlelo okwamanje ezizama ukubhekana nalolu daba ePacific wathi unethemba lokuthi umncintiswano wokwehlisa isisindo ungaba yisibonelo esihle kubantu abangasilandela.
"Izifo ezingathathelani [amazinga] nokukhuluphala kwengane kuhlobene kakhulu nemikhuba yethu yokudla nendlela yethu yokuphila futhi kuyinkinga eyinkimbinkimbi uma kukhulunywa ngabantu bethu basePacific," esho.
"Futhi nabaholi besiqhingi sasePacific, siyahlangana futhi sixoxe futhi sikhulume ngalolu daba, kepha imizamo yalolu daba ayenzi mthelela… Besilokhu sikhuthaza udaba olufanayo eminyakeni edlule kodwa alubonakali lusebenza."
